Electrical safety alarm and signal mechanism for railways.



No. 707,639. II.1L..RI6KEI'TS.

, ELECTRICAL SAFETY ALA'BM AND SIGNAL IIECHANISM FOB BAILWAYS.

(Application led Kar. 19, 1900.)

Patented Aug. 26, |902.

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N0. 707,639. Patented Allg. 26, |902..

J. L. RIGKETTS. Y

ELECTBICAL SAFETY ALARM AND SIGNAL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS.

(Application led Mar. 19, 1900.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Patented Aug. 26, |902.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. L. BICKETTS. ELECTRICAL SAFETY ALRM AND SlGNAL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS.

(Application led Mar. 19, 1900.)

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(No Model.)

Patented Aug. 26, |902.

J. L. mcKETTs. ELECTRICAL SAFETY ALARM AND SIGNAL MECHANISM FUR RILWAYS.

(Application med Mar. 19, 19'00.)

5 Sheets--Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

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No. 707,639. Patented Aug. 26, |902. J. L. mcKETTs. ELECTRICAL SAFETY ALARM AND SIGNAL MECHANISM FR RAILWAYS.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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TTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN L. RICKETTS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO LEONARD R. FLETCHER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; ELIZA J. FLETCHER ADMINISTRATRIX OF DECEASED.

SAID LEONARD R. FLETCHER,

ELECTRICAL SAFETY ALARM AND SIGNAL MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 707,639, dated August 26, 1902..V

Application filed March 19, 1909. Serial No. 9,286. (No model.) v

.To LZZ whom, it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, JOHN L. RICKETTS, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Electrical Safety Alarm and Signal Mechanism for Railways, of which the following` is a speciiication.

The Object of my invention is to provide automatic safety stop and signal mechanism for electric and other railways, my invention comprising means whereby the motor may be arrested or a'warning given, or both, when said motor is entering upon a section of track in which danger exists, whether such danger arises from an open switch, draw, washout, or other break in the track, or from any obstruction of the track, such as that caused by a standing, approaching, or receding train or car, or bya landslide, fall of rock, or the like.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View, mainly of a diagrammatic character, illustrating means employed by me for effecting the automatic stopping of an electrically-driven car in case of danger ahead. Fig. 2 is a side View illustrating another form of device available for use in carrying out my invention when the car derivesits power from an overhead trolley-wire. Fig. 3 is a view of thesame,showingsome ofthe partsin dilierent positions. Fig. 4 is an end view ofthe device, partly in section. Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of the same. Fig. o is a diagram illustrating a relay or block system in accordance with my invention, showing in diagram the electrical connections in both the car and the track-circuits. Fig. 7 is a View, on an enlarged scale, of one set ofthe circuit making and breaking devices employedv in said system. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing some of the parts in different positions. Y

Referring in the first instance to Fig. 1, the trolley-pole whereby the current is fed to the car from the overhead wire is represented at 1, the current passing by a wire 2 from the trolley-pole hanger to the pivot pin or post of the armature 3 ot' an electronlagnet 4, the armature 3 normally making-.contact with a spring-post 5, which is connected by a wire 6 to the controller-box 7 on the car, whereby the current is directed to the armature of the motor. The electromagnet 4 is contained in a shunt ofthe main circuit, the shunt-wire 8 leading from the armature pivot or post through the coils of the magnet and thence to the controller-box 7, whereby it is connected to the terminal of a wire 9, leading to the movable switch-plate 10 ofra circuit maker and breaker underneath the car. Said movable switch-plate is carried by a slide 11, vertically guided in a structure 12, mounted on the framework of the car so as to beinsulated therefrom, and is normallydepressed by a spring 13, so as to make contact with a fixed switch -plate 14, which is normally grounded througha wire 15, a resistance-box 16, the frame of the car, the axles, the wheels, and one or both of the rails of the track. This I term for convenience the car-circuit, although the motor may be anengine driven by steam or some other power than electricity, for as to certain features of my invention such engine is the equivalent of an electricallydriven car. At the switches, draw-bridges, or other breaks in the track, however, and at the ends ofthe blocks intowhich the track is divided there are independent circuits or connections, such as described hereinafter and which for convenience I term track-circuits, and each of these circuits has as part of it a track-contact which is adapted to be struck by a roller 17 on the slide 11, such track-contact being constructed so as to raise the slide and open the car-circuit by separating the switch-plates 10 and 14, as shown at the right-hand end ot the carin Fig. 1, the ground connection being thereby transferred to the track-circuit of which the contact acting on the roller 17 forms part, sorthat said track-circuit is connected in series with the car-circuit. In single-track roads there is on both sides of each switch, draw,l or other break inthe track one of these track-'contacts alongside of each rail of the track, and there are similar track-contacts alongside of .each rail at the beginning of each block of the track and atvthe end of each block, and

even in double-track roads I may, if desired, have the track-contacts adjacent to each rail in order to provide the necessary protection when an engine or train is running backward or in the wrong direction on either track. In Fig. 1 are shown two of these track-contacts 1H and 19, one of whichsay the contact 18- i may constitute part of the switch or drawbridge circuit or part of the means whereby a car entering a block opens or sets at danger the track-circuit corresponding to that block, while the contact 19 may constitute part of the means whereby a car leaving a block may close or set at safety the track-circuit of a block in the rear of that which it is leaving or entering. The contact 18 may also form part of a track-circuit including a similar contact two or more blocks ahead, so as to open that circuit at the same time it opens ils own block-circuit, thereby warning an approaching car or train, so as to prevent head-on collisions. If the track-circuit is open, it will, owing to its being connected in series with the car-circuit, likewise open the latter. Hence the armature 3 ot' the magnet4 will be released and will fall, so as to break vthe connection with the spring-post 5 and cut oi the flow of current to the motor-armature, and being then beyond the influence of the magnet will remain in this position until restored to its original position by hand. At the`same time a switch 20 on the armature makes contact with a plate 2l and switches the current onto the field-coils through a lamp 22, wire 23, and a resistance-box 24, having an appropriate ground connection, thus acting as a magnetic brake to resist further rotation of thek armature, it being understood that when this action occurs the said motor-armature is short-circllited by means ot any desired device, the same being either automatic in action or operated in connection with the controller. On the car is another circuit making and breaking device of the saine character as that which I have just described and having parts similar to the parts 10, l1, 12, 13, 14, and 17 and lettered, respectively, 10a, lla, 12, 13a, 14a, and 17a. The movable switch-plate 10a is connected to the controller-box on the car by a wire 24, and the switch-plate 14:L is connected to the resistance-box 16 by means of a wire 25. One circuit making and breaking device is on one side of the car and operates in conjunction with the track-contacts adjacent to one of the rails, and the other circuit making and breaking device is on the other side of the car and operates in conjunction with the track-contacts adjacent to the rail on that side, so that the car can be run in either direction, one set of devices being switched off when the other is switched on. A single circuit maker and breaker for the car-circuit may be used if the track-contacts are in the center of the track.

vInstead of using circuit making and breaking devices on the body of the car I may, if

desired, mount them upon a trolley-pole, one form of car-circuit making and breaking device available for use in this way being shown in'Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, on reference to which it will be observed that the trolley-pole 1 has an insulating-bearing 26 thereon, in which is pivoted a supplementary arm 27, carrying a trolley 2S, which is adapted to run in contact with a side wire 29, having a ground connection through a suitable switch or drawbridge operating device 30, so that said connection will be closed when the switch or draw is closed and will be opened when the switch or draw is opened. The spindle of the arm 27 has two other arms 3l and 32, the arm 31 being acted upon bya spring 33, connected to the trolley-pole, so that it tends to maintain the arm 27 normally in the elevated position, (shown in Figs. 2 and 4,) suoli position being determined by Contact of a projection 34 on the arm 27 with the back of the trolley-pole, as shown in Fig. 2. When in this position', the arm 32 makes contact with a switch-plate 35, mounted upon but insu,- lated from the trolley-pole 1, said switchplate being connected byawire 36 to an arm 37, mounted upon but insulated from the ro` tating structure which carries the trolleypole, said arm 37 having a shoe which makes contact with a ring 38 on the fixed structure of the car. The arm 27 is connected by a wire 39 to an arm 40, likewise mounted upon but insulated from the rotating structure which carries the trolley-pole, said arm 40 having a shoe which makes contact with a ring 41 on the xed structu re of the car. The rings 3S and 41 form part of the shunt-circuit containing the magnet 4, said shunt passing from the ring 41 through the arm 40, wire 39, arm

27, arm 32, switch-plate 35, wire 36, and arm 37 to the ring 38 and being suitably grounded through connections on the car when the parts are in the normal position. (Shown in Figs. 2 and4.) On approaching the switch or draw, however, the trolley on the arm 27 strikes the elevated end ot' the side wire 29, and as the car proceeds the rear end of said arm 27 is depressed by said wire 29 until it assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby moving the arm 32 out of contact with the switch plate 35 and breaking the ground connection through the ring 38 and transferring it to the switch attachment to the drawoperating device 30. For this purpose the draw-operating lever has connected to it any desired form of electric switch so placed as to engage fixed contacts suitably situated in relation to said lever. If the switch is closed, the ground connection will be maintained and the magnet 4 will remain energized, so as to keep the motor-circuit closed and permit the car to proceed; but it' the switch is open the ground-circuit will be broken, the magnet 4 will be deenergized, the motor-circuit broken, and the car stopped. The wire 29 thus constitutes part of a track-circuit in the same manner as the track-contact 18 `or 19.

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The relay or automatic circuit closing and opening devices for the block system which I employ are shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, on reference to which it will be observed that each relay-box has three binding-posts 42, 43, and 44, the post 42 having a ground connection 45, the post 43 being connected by a wire 46 to the track-contacts 18 of two separated blocks, one contact on one side of the track and the other on the opposite side, and the post 44 being likewise connected by a wire 47 to the track-contacts 19 of two separated blocks, one contact on one side of the track and the other on the opposite side of the same. Thus the post 43 of the relay-box of the block 1 is connected to the track-contact 18 of said block and also to the opposite track-contact 18 of block 3, and the post 44 is connected to the contact 19 of block 1 and also to the opposite contact 19 of block 3, and so on, so that each track-contact 18 protects its own block and also two blocks ahead, while each contact 19 protects a point two blocks in the rear, although the contacts may of course protect but a single block in front or rear or more than two blocks, as maybe desired. The interior mechanism of each relay-box is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. To the post 43 is connected a Wire 48, which passes through the coils of a magnet 49 and thence to a contact-spring 50, bearing upon a lug 51 on a disk 52, which is mounted so as to be free to turn. Upon the lng 51 also bears a contact-spring 53, which is connected by a wire 54 to a contact-screw 55, upon which normally bears a spring-finger 56, projecting from the armature 57 of the magnet 49, said armature being hung to a pivot pin or spindle 58, which has connection with the ground, said armature being weighted, so as to cause it to act in opposition to the pull of the magnet 49. The armature 57 is normally locked in the position shown in Fig. 7 by the armature 59 of another magnet 60, which is interposed in a circuit comprising a Wire 61, leading from the binding-post 44, a spring contact-iinger 62, one of a pair of contactpieces 63 64 on the disk 52, another contact- Iinger 65, awire 66, and a ground connection 67. The armature 59 is also weighted, so as to move away from the magnet except when magneticinfluenceisbeingexerted thereupon, oritisheldinpositionbythearmature57. The post 43 is also connected, by means of a wire 68, to a magnet 69, having a coil of high resistance, the return-wire from said coil being connected to a spring contact-post 71, which under certain conditions of operation of the relay device is grounded through the armature 57. The armature 72 of the magnet 69 is connected to a pawl 73, which is adapted to engage with a toothed portion of the periphery of the disk 52, said pawl being pivoted to the end of an arm 74,which is free to swing around the shaft or spindle of said disk. On said shaft or spindle is also free to swing another arm 75, to which is hung a pawl 76, similar to the pawl 73 and connected to the armature 77 of an electromagnet 78, one terminal of the coils of this magnet being connected by a wire 79 to the ground and the other terminal being connected by a wire 80 to a spring contact-finger 81, which bears constantly upon the contact-piece 64 of the disk 52. The safety or closed-circuit position of the parts is represented in Fig. 7,and when the antifrictien-roller 17 of a contact device on an engine or car strikes the track-contact 18, connected to the post 43, the engine-circuit is grounded through the wire 48, magnet 49, contact-springs 50 and 53, lug 5l, screw 55, spring-contact 56, and armature 57. The magnet 49 being thereby energized, the armature 57 is depressed, so as to release the armature 59, which consequently, under the inuence of its weight, is caused to move outward to the position shown in Fig. 8, so that when the an tifriction-roller of the contact device on the car or engine passes from the track-contact 18 and the magnet 49 is consequently denergized the armature 57 will, under the influence of its weight, rise so as to break the contact between the screw 55 and ture 59 will be attracted, so that its beveled' lower end will act upon the beveled lug 98 on the back of the armature and will first depress the latter and then engage the shoulder of the lug, so that both armatures Will be again locked in the position shown in Fig. 7 and the closed-circuit or safety conditions will be restored. If, however, the engine or car reaches the contact 18 before its circuit has been closed or set to the safety condition, the ear-circuit will be grounded through the Wire 68, high-resistance magnet 60, Wire 70, contact 71, and armature 57, and owing to this high resistance the magnet 4 on the car will be IOO IOC

deenergized, its armature released, and the y motor-circuit on the car opened, so as to cause the car to come to a stop. At the same time the armature 72 will be drawn upward, so as to canse the pawl73 to act upon the disk 52 and move the lug 51 out of contact with the springs 53 and the piece 63 out of contact with the springs 62 and 65, the piece 64 being moved into contact with the spring 62 and providing an electrical connection between the latter and the spring81. It will be understood that the block 63 is wide enough to cover both of the springs 62 and 65; but the piece 64 is narrower and makes contact only with the spring 62. The upward movement of the armature 72 is such that its pawl 73 will be forced ont of engagement with the tooth of 65, wire 66, magnet 60, and wire 67.

the disk 52, so that even if the current through the magnet 69 is maintained by reason of the car stopping with the antifriction-roller 17 of its contact resting on the track-contact 18 the pawl 73 will not prevent backward movement of the disk 52. If the engine or car moves on slowly int-o the block on the lookout for danger ahead, each additional engine or car entering the block will cause forward movement of the disk 52 to the extent of a tooth. Thus in Fig. 8 the disk is shown as having been turned forward to the extent of two teeth. Each engine or car now making contact with the resetting track-contact 19 will ground its car-circuit through the wire 47, wire 6l, spring 62, contact-piece 64, spring 81, wire 80, magnet 7S, and wire 79. A a result of this the magnet 78 will be energized 'will be repeated as each engine or car grounds its circuit through Ithe resetting-contact 19 until the disk 52 is restored to the position shown in 'Fig'. 7, so as to Vagain bring the lug '51 beneath the spring-contacts 50 and 53,

move the contact-piece 64 out of contact with the spring 62, and bring the piece 63 again into contact with the springs 62 and 65. This again completes the circuit comprising the wire 6l, spring 62, contact-piece 63, spring Hence when the last engine or car grounds its circuit through the resetting-contact 19 said magnet will attract its armature 59, thereby depressing the armature 57 and restoring the devices to the closed-circuit or safety position of Fig. 7. While each relay device thus permits any number of engines or cars not exceeding the number of ratchet-teeth on the disk 52 after being properly warned to enter a block, it precludes the restoration of the device to the closed-circuit or safety position until all of the engines or cars have left the section of the track protected by said relay.

The mechanism which I have described provides a complete automatic block-signal and stopping mechanism for a line of railroad having cars driven by electric power, andth us provides for electric roads as lgreat a degree of protection as has been attempted in the case of roads having steam-driven motors.

From the description of the various embodiments of my invention before given, however, it will be evident that many of the features of said invention are applicable to engines driven by steam or other power and provided with a battery or other means of generating the engine-circuit.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination in an electrical safety signal or alarm system for railways, of a normally closed car-circuit containing a magnet, a track-circuit having a contact whereby it is connected in series with, the carcircuit when the engine or car reaches said contact, and means whereby such track-circuit is automatically thrown in circuit with a relatively high resistance magnet when the engine or car leaves said contact, substantially as specied.

2. The combination in-an electrical safety signal or alarm system for railways, of a normally closed car-circuit containing a magnet, a track-circuit having a con tact whereby it is connected in series with the car-circuit when an engine or car reaches the same, means whereby said track-circuit is automatically thrown in circuit with a relatively high resistance magnet when the engine or carpasses said contact, and means whereby said track-circuit is automatically restored to its normal condition when the engine or car passes a track-contact forwardly beyond that which lopened the circuit, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in an electrical safety signal or alarm system for railways, of a normally closed car-circuit containing a magnet, a number of track-circuits forming successive blocks, contacts in each of said trackcircuits, and means whereby the engine or car in entering each block is caused to Iirst connect the carcircuit in series with the track-circuit of that block and then to connect said track-circuit of said block in series with arelativelyhigh resistance magnet, substantially as described.

4L. The combination in an electrical safety signal or alarm system for railways, of a normally closed car-circuit containing a magnet,

la number of track-circuits forming successive blocks, contacts in each of said trackcircuits, and means whereby the engine or car in entering each block is caused to first connect the car-circuit in series with the- 'tially as specified.

o. rlhe combination in an electrical safety signal or alarm system for railways, of a carcircuit containing a magnet and a track-circuit having a contact whereby it is connected in series with the car-circuit when the engine i or car reaches the same, said track-circuit including a normally closed switch provided with independent sets of pawl-and-ratchet mechanism,together with means for operating 'the same, each of said sets being operative upon the switch to move the same independently of each other in opposite directions, one Aset operating when a car-circuit is connected to the track-circuit and the other operating whenever a car-circuit is disconnected from :said track-circuit, substantially as described.

6. The combination in an electrical safety :signal or alarm system for railways, of a carcircuit,a track-circuit having a contact whereby it is connected in series with said car- IOC IIO

circuit when the engine or car reaches the same, a rotary switch in said track-circuit provided with pawl-andratchet operating mechanism, together1 with a device whereby a portion of said mechanism is caused to positively move forward the switch to the extent of one tooth on each action thereof of the car-circuit of a car in a block, and means for causing the second portion ot said mechanism to positively move the switch one tooth backward for each car-circuit leaving the block, substantially as described.

7. An electrically-driven car having a normally closed circuit containing a magnet which controls a switch inthe motor-circuit,

in combination with a track-circuit adapted` to be connected in series with the car-circuit whereby the motor will be stopped when the track-circuit is open, substantially as specied.

8. An electrically-driven car having a circuit with magnet controlling a switch in the motor-circuit, said car-circuit having aswitch on the trolley pole or arm, one element of said switch being a supplementary trolley adapted to strike a contact in the track-circuit and to connect said track-circuit in series with the car-circuit,substantially as specified.

9. The combination of an electricallydriven car having a circuit with magnet controlling a switch in the motor-circuit, said car-circuit having as elements a switch on the trolley-pole, a pair ot contact-rings on the car, and contact-shoes carried by the rotating pole-carrier of the car, and means whereby saidcar-circuit can be connected in series with a track-circuit, substantially as specified.

10. An electrically-driven car having a circuit containing a magnet which controls a switch in the motor-circuit, a motor-field circuit adapted to be closed by said switch when the armature-circuit of the motor is opened, and a track-circuit adapted to be connected in series with the car-circuit, whereby, when said track-circuit is open, the motoncircuit will cause the elds of the motor to act as a magnetic brake, substantially as speciiied.

11. An electrically-driven carhaving a normally closed circuit containing a magnet which, when in one position, closes the motor-circuit, and when in the other position, closes a circuit containing a signal-lamp on the car, in combination with a track-circuit adapted to be connected in series with the car-circuit whereby, when said track-circuit is open, the motor will be stopped and the signal-lamp lighted, substantially as specified.

12. The combination in an electromagnetic switch, of a circuit containinga magnet with armature for opening and closing said circuit, a second circuit containing a magnet with armature for acting upon the armature of the first magnet to lock the same or restore it to circuit-closing position, a third circuit containing a magnet and adapted to be closed by the armature of the first magnet when the latter opens the circuit in which said magnet is contained, and a switch operated by said third magnet and serving to open the circuit containing the second magnet, substantially as specified.

13. The combination in an electromagnetic switch', of a rotary member consisting of a toothed circuit making and breaking device capable of being turned in opposite directions, a pair ot magnets each having an armature with independent pawls adapted to act upon different sections of said toothed device whereby the action of one magnet will lmove it in one direction and the other in the opposite direction, two electric circuits one containing one magnet, and the other containing the other magnet, and means whereby the passage of a car is caused to close first one of these circuits and then the other, substantially as described.

14. The combination, in an electromagnetic switch, ot a circuitbreaker having a disk provided with two sets of teeth with a series of teeth in each set, two magnets each having an armature with pawl, one for engaging one set ot teeth and the other for engaging the other set of teeth of the circuit-breaker, two circuits, one tor each magnet, and `means whereby a car passing along the track is caused to open and close these circuits whereby there may be a succession of movements of the circuit-breaker in one direction caused by the action of one magnet and then a succession of movements of the circuit-breaker in the opposite direction caused by the action of the other magnet, substantially as specitied.

15. The combination in an electromagnetic switch, of four electrical circuits each containing an electromagnet, a switch in the first circuit controlled by the armature of the magnet contained in said circuit, 4an armature operated by the magnet in the second circuit, and acting upon the armature of the magnet in the first circuit to close said circuit and hold it closed, a switch in the third circuit closed by the armature ofthe first magnet when the same moves so as to open the first circuit, a circuit maker and breaker operated by the magnet in the third circuit so as to open the second circuit and close the fourth circuit, and a magnet in the latter circuit for moving said circuit-breaker so as to again close the second circuit, substantially as specitied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

JOI-IN L. RICKETTS.

Vitnesses:

F. E. BEoI-ITOLD, J os. H. KLEIN.

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